侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第127期:难以找到完整的骨架

 　　Gastonia, being a large animal, was very stocky and well-muscled.

　　加斯顿龙，作为一个大型动物，非常健壮、肌肉发达。

　　Utahraptor, for a predatory dinosaur¹, particularly a Dromaeosaur, it's a very strong powerfully-built animal as well.

　　犹他盗龙，作为掠食性恐龙，特别一个驰龙，也是非常健壮有力的动物。

　　The squat² four legged Gastonia's heavy load slows him down to four to five miles per hour.

　　四足矮壮的加斯顿龙沉重的负荷使它的速度只有每小时4到5英里。

　　In contrast, the two-legged Utahraptor is swift.

　　与之相反，两足的犹他盗龙是迅速的。

　　He can sprint³ at speeds up to 20 miles per hour.

　　它冲刺时能加速到20英里每小时。

　　There is nothing fast or agile⁴ about Gastonia.

　　加斯顿龙跟速度和敏捷完全不搭边。

　　He's built like a little Sherman tank.

　　它的构造就像是一辆小型谢尔曼坦克。

　　He's very slow, he's very heavy, he plods⁵ along, he doesn't really need to be agile or fast.

　　它非常缓慢，身躯沉重，步伐蹒跚，它根本用不着变得敏捷或迅速。

　　Utahraptor, on the other hand, is a pretty fast, agile dinosaur.

　　犹他盗龙，则刚好相反，是相当迅速敏捷的恐龙。

　　He's got to be because he's hunting and chasing prey⁶.

　　它必须这样，因为它要追逐捕食猎物。

　　His body is designed to be quick.

　　它的身体就是为了快速而设计的。

　　His long, stiff tail helps counterbalance him so he's a very quick, very agile and very fast dinosaur.

　　有又硬又长的尾巴能帮助保持平衡，它是非常迅速而灵活的恐龙。

　　It's very rare to find complete skeletons.

　　很难得找到完整的骨架。

　　Paleontologists rely on cast replicas⁷ to fill in the missing parts.

　　古生物学家靠制作副本来填充缺失部分。

　　By making life-size replicas of these ancient creatures, researchers can develop a better visual picture of how and why they fought for survival.

　　通过制作这些远古生物真实尺寸的副本，研究者能够对它们如何及为什么进行生存斗争建立一个更好的视觉图像。

　　Casts are really important in the sense that it allows an exchange of information among universities and researchers and school children and enthusiasts⁸.

　　模型在一定程度上很重要，它能在大学、研究者学校学生和恐龙爱好者之间形成信息交换。

　　Also seeing casts mount in museums is really great because it allows the bones to stay in an area where researchers can go in and look at the individual bones.

　　同样看见模型放置在博物馆里也非常好，因为这让骨头待在一个研究者们能进去看每一块骨头的地方。

　　It really helps shed new light on new discoveries.

　　这真的能帮助给新发现带来启发。

　　Utahraptor stood upright and moved on two legs which made him far more agile than the four legged Gastonia.

　　犹他盗龙用两足直立移动，这让它远比四足行走的加斯顿龙要更加灵活。

　　So if you can envision a battle between an animal like Utahraptor, with the classic predatory tools at its disposal, and Gastonia, which is an animal that was not fast, it was a quadruped, would just sort-of stay put, and hunker down, and basically make it too difficult for the Utahraptor to get a meal out of it.

　　要是你想象一场恐龙大战，一方是有着经典的掠食性工具任他处理的犹他盗龙，另一方是加斯顿龙，是一种速度不快的动物，它是四足动物，它就是待在那里，放低身体，基本上使犹他盗龙很难从它身上获得一块肉。

　　To make a modern analogy, think of Utahraptor as a wolf and Gastonia as a porcupine⁹.

　　做一个现代的类比，可以把犹他盗龙当成狼而加斯顿龙当成是豪猪。

　　In order to attack the porcupine, the wolf is going to have to be incredibly careful in choosing how and when he's going to attack.

　　为了能够攻击豪猪，狼必须非常小心地选择如何攻击和何时攻击。

　　But as for the Porcupine, he can just sit there and wait.

　　不过对于豪猪，它只要坐在那里等待。

　　Well, that is basically what we have in Utahraptor and Gastonia.

　　那基本上就是犹他盗龙和加斯顿龙的情况。

　　One has to do all the work and stands to lose a lot, and the other just sits by and waits.

　　一方必须做所有的工作并坚持着失去很多（能量），另一方则只要坐着等待。

1 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

2 squat   

v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的

参考例句：

• For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
• He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。

3 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

4 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

5 plods   

v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的第三人称单数 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作）

参考例句：

• He plods away at his lessons until he learns them. 他埋头学习功课直到学会为止。 来自辞典例句
• Mr. Weaver stretches, yawns, rises reluctantly and plods heavily into the bathroom. 韦佛先生伸伸懒腰打了个呵欠，勉强起床，迈着沉重的脚步走进浴室去。 来自辞典例句

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

8 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

9 porcupine   

n.豪猪， 箭猪

参考例句：

• A porcupine is covered with prickles.箭猪身上长满了刺。
• There is a philosophy parable,call philosophy of porcupine.有一个哲学寓言，叫豪猪的哲学。